Sports Management Commons^™

Powerhouse Problem: The Examination Of The Nfl Draft And Possible Biases, Nicholas Troha

Business and Economics Honors Papers

This research explores the NFL draft's dynamics, investigating potential biases in player selection. Despite stars like Tyreek Hill and Antonio Brown emerging from small D1 institutions in the later draft rounds, a bias towards Power 5 conference players persists, particularly with wide receivers. Drawing from NFL draft data (2016-2020), this research finds that not only does there seem to be a premium placed on Power 5 receivers, but Southeastern Conference (SEC) linebackers as well. Quarterbacks were also evaluated in this research but revealed little information about what factors influence their draft position. The discrepancy of what influences a player’s draft …

Nfl Rule Changes Favor Offenses; But Don't Defenses Win Championships?, Kipp Satterlee Ransome

Business and Economics Honors Papers

The NFL's emphasis on favoring the offense through implementing new game rules is likely a significant factor in increasing a team's average points per game. Additionally, an increasing average points per game metric is likely a contributing factor to increasing real team revenue, as prior research indicates that higher-scoring games lead to higher fan satisfaction. Using game, team revenue, and rule implementation data from the 2002-2022 seasons, this author tests two new hypotheses that test whether specific rule changes targeting defenses or special teams increase a team’s average points per game and whether an increased points per game metric positively …

No More Empty Stadiums: A Meta Analysis Of Mega Sporting Events And Their Economic Impact, Tayte O. Gleason

Honors Thesis

Mega sporting events have faced increased scrutiny in recent decades for their negative economic impacts, externalities, and environmental effects. As multimillion dollar stadiums lay abandoned and future host city bids are withdrawn as public opinion on mega sporting events worsens with time, economists, governing bodies, and sports fans worry about the future locations of these massive sports festivals. In my thesis, I will conduct a meta analysis of articles measuring the various impacts and effects of hosting a mega sporting event. I will begin by performing an extensive literature review of the various factors contributing to a mega sporting event’s …

Evaluating The Effect Of Nil Laws On College Athletic Department Revenue, Dylan C. Cherullo

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This paper examines the impact of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) laws on revenue for public Division I universities' athletic departments, challenging the long-standing debate within the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Utilizing panel data from the Knight Commission on College Athletics, which encompasses over 350 public Division I universities from 2002 to 2021, this study employs a difference-in-differences model. The model investigates state-level changes in university athletic department revenue from sponsorships (sponsrev), with special focus on the post-NIL law era. The analysis is bolstered by controls for various factors including ESPN’s FPI data, coach and equipment expenditures, and COVID-19 …

Petco Park: Evaluating Economic Health Of The Dining Establishment Industry In The Vicinity Of A Downtown Major League Baseball Stadium, Georgy Shukaylo

Masters Theses

This thesis analyzes the economic health of the dining establishments in

Downtown San Diego, CA, specifically in the vicinity of Petco Park. Opened in

2004, Petco Park is home to the San Diego Padres, a Major League Baseball

franchise. In addition, it serves as a venue for outdoor concerts and shows. The

venue is used for most of the year due to an expanded Major League Baseball

schedule, especially compared to other professional sports. Much of the

transformation of San Diego’s Downtown can be attributed to the late 1990’s East

Village Revitalization Plan, which included municipal anchors like the San …

Hosting The Fifa World Cup: An Economic Analysis Of How The World Cup Has Impacted The Economy Of A Developed And A Developing Nation, Juan Borga

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This thesis is a microeconomic study of the economic impact hosting the FIFA World Cup can have on both a developed and developing nation. I will examine the economies of Germany and Brazil, three years prior and three years after hosting the tournament in 2006 and 2014 respectively. The pressures imposed by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) require significant monetary investments for the World Cup to be considered successful, but have countries been allocating their resources effectively? The purpose of this thesis is to determine the extent to which it is economically advantageous for a nation to host …

The Connection Between Race And Performance Of Nba Draft Picks, Jeremiah Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the relationship between race and performance in terms of one of the highest forms of efficiency in basketball, field goal percentage, based on college statistics, with regard to draft position, career earnings and NBA win shares.

Changing Traditions: Examining The Factors That Determine The Probability Of Bidding To Host The Olympic Games Over Time, Jessie R. Dickens

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In September 2017, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that, for the first time in its history, it would award the hosting of two different Olympic Games at the same time, giving the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympic Games to Paris and Los Angeles respectively. As a result, the question is raised as to why the IOC broke tradition in its host city selection process. The break of tradition is presumably due to a lack of candidates to host the 2028 Summer Olympics. With prior host cities reporting astronomical costs and high debt balances associated with hosting, many cities have …

The Super Bowl's Economic Impact On Its Host City, Ashley Lockwood

Honors Theses

In this paper, I am going to discuss the major differences between the sports boosters' pregame estimates compared to the economists' post game analysis. In my research, I analyze all 32 cities with an NFL team over the most recent 20 years to see if there is a significant impact on the host's economy. This research will show if increasing local taxes in order to host the game yields an increase in per capita GDP after the game. Tax payers accept higher tax rates under the impression that, after the game, their city will reap massive benefits from hosting the …

The Effectiveness Of Promotions In Minor League Baseball : A Study Of The Eastern League, Collin R. Zucker

Honors Theses

Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is comprised of 247 teams playing in 17 leagues at six different levels. Every team in these leagues is an affiliate of a Major League Baseball (MLB) team, but many are privately owned and are therefore financially independent. While MiLB primarily serves as a development environment for future MLB players, profit maximization is still a goal of various front offices. Minor League Baseball has existed for over a century but only recently have teams been regarded as profitable investments. In Forbes’ “Most Valuable Minor League Teams” list published in 2016, the average value of the top …

Effects Of Upward Football Reclassification On Revenues, Football Attendance, And Enrollment, Charles Bell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With an ever increasing chasm between the have and have nots in college athletics, athletic directors and university administrators view reclassification as a way to increase financial standing and gain valuable exposure for their school despite mixed findings by recent studies. The process of reclassification costs schools sizable financial and labor investments detracting from their academic endeavors. The schools at the highest level of collegiate football competition enjoy constant national television exposure for their school resulting in many direct and indirect benefits. A repeated measures ANOVA was utilized to assess the change in athletic department revenues, student enrollment and football …

Revenue Incentives And Referee Propensity To Make Foul Calls In The Nba Finals, Daniel Fallon-Cyr

CMC Senior Theses

In this study I examine foul calls by NBA referees alongside the difference in aggressiveness of twelve NBA basketball teams as they compete for the Championship Title. I aim to identify referee biases that increase the likelihood of the NBA Finals ending in a later game due to league revenue incentives. My data consists of 91 individual NBA Finals games played between the 2001 and 2016 NBA Finals. After controlling for changes in play as well as the difference in aggressiveness, I find that NBA referee’s foul calls are more dependent on a call on the opposing team in situations …

The Effect Of Distance From Nhl Affiliate On Ahl Fan Attendance, Stephen Picard

Honors Theses

This paper examines the effect of American Hockey League (AHL) teams locating closer to their National Hockey League (NHL) affiliates. With several AHL teams closing the distance (geographically) between their NHL affiliates for logistical purposes, I studied whether or not they will experience higher levels of fan support. I used data from all AHL teams between 2007 and 2017. I found a statistically insignificant negative relationship between proximity to NHL affiliate and average attendance in the AHL for all the teams. However, less popular AHL teams do experience higher levels of fan attendance when located closer to their NHL affiliate. …

The Look Of The Line: An Empirical Investigation Of The Impacts Of Facial Symmetry On Salary Levels Of Offensive Linemen In The Nfl, Kristen Wampole

Business and Economics Honors Papers

Evaluation of a professional athlete's performance for the purposes of compensation determination is difficult, especially when decision making may not follow the expected "instrumental rationality." This paper will look to examine the factors, both productive and non-productive, impacting an Offensive Lineman's salary in the NFL. The purpose of this study is to determine whether an offensive lineman's salary is based on productive characteristics adhering to instrumental rationality, or whether the influence of non-productive characteristics influence salary as ultimately determined by team management. Results indicate that players within the tackle position with earning salaries in the seventy-fifth percentile gain additional benefits …

Stats Or Studs: Does It Pay To Be Good Looking? The Economic Impact Of Lookism, Lisle O'Neill

Business and Economics Honors Papers

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is a phrase that exemplifies the subjectivity of attractiveness. In recent years, researchers in the fields of economics, sociology, and anaplasty have used symmetry analysis in an attempt to make beauty an objective issue. People characterized by greater facial symmetry, as defined by exhibiting balanced lateral proportions, are considered to be more attractive. Furthermore, labor economists, such as Hamermesh and Biddle (1994), suggest a wage premium for more attractive individuals, however, the measure of attractiveness was not based on symmetry. This study examines the effect of NFL quarterbacks' attractiveness on …